Malawi recorded Africa’s first wild poliovirus (WPV) case in five years

Malawi has recorded Africa’s first wild poliovirus (WPV) case in five years. It was confirmed by the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN) on February 17, 2022.

  • The case has been found to be genetically linked to the WPV1 detected in October 2019 in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan are only two countries where Polio continues to remain endemic.
  • This is the first WPV case in Malawi in three decades. This detection does not change that status.
  • Africa was declared free of WPV in August 2020. In November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) had stated that cases of wild poliovirus are on the decline.
  • Only two cases of the disease were detected last year — both in countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) where it remains endemic.

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